For Culinaria Feastival during Síclovía, chef Jesse Perez challenged himself to make the best-tasting vegetarian butternut squash soup possible. Often at events, Perez says, people have difficulty finding vegetarian options.

“Five years ago, I would have made it with bacon because of bacon's smoky depth of flavor,” says Perez.

But Perez decided to use fresh butternut squash, apples (he suggests Fuji or Marigold, which are sweet apples — never use a tart apple in this dish), vegetable stock and garlic. Then, he challenged himself again. Normally he would use cream as his base. Instead, he used the vegetables for 90 percent of the soup base and only a touch of cream to round out the flavor.

“It's a lot healthier than if I'd used cream as a base,” Perez says.

Perez explains that he used a mirepoix, a mixture of carrot, onion and celery, to create a flavorful base, with thyme and oregano adding additional flavor. After cooking the squash mixture in broth, he purées it with an immersion blender to give it a smooth consistency. Lacking that, a blender or food processor can be used, though the soup won't be as silky-smooth.

This is a different way of cooking for Perez, who was born and raised in San Antonio. He left his beloved city after graduating from Burbank High School to attend the University of Michigan. While studying education, he started working in the kitchen of a bar and grill, which catered to the college crowd, to make money.

“I was cooking burgers on the grill,” says Perez, “and making a whopping $6.75 an hour in 1995.”

After a year and a half, he realized he needed more money for his junior and senior years, so he started busing tables, working as a runner and a dishwasher at a finer restaurant in Ann Arbor.

“One night, they had family meal and I asked chef if I could make the family meal,” says Perez of the restaurant's staff's habit of eating a meal together before opening. Perez made crispy tacos, rice, beans, two kinds of salsa and guacamole.

Perez's mom had sent him the seasonings from San Antonio that he couldn't find in Ann Arbor and she gave him cooking tips over the phone.

“Chef was blown away and said I'd be in the kitchen tomorrow,” remembers Perez. “I loved it. ... I was taking 17 hours and working 50 hours a week. It wasn't work for me.”

After graduation, Perez returned to San Antonio and started working the graveyard shift at the newly opened Westin La Cantera. He became a chef at Francesca's at Sunset and then moved to accept the executive chef position at Nava in Atlanta before moving to Los Angeles for two years.

Perez is now back in San Antonio and will open Arcade Midtown Kitchen at Pearl around the end of the year. It will feature Americana comfort cuisine, which Perez says is a broad category.

“Americana by definition is a melting pot,” Perez says.

This will allow Perez to prepare what interests him and to keep his menu ever changing. Of course, the butternut squash soup will be on its fall/winter menu.

Jennifer Rodriguez is a local freelance writer/researcher. She can be reached at thebizwriter@gmail.com. Chefs' Secrets will resume Nov. 24.